Wardrobe case



March 1934- J. RITTER, JR

WARDROBE CASE Filed Oct. 28. 1931 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented 6, 193 1 STATES WARDROBE CASE Julius Bitter, Jr., Racine, Wis., assignor to Hartmann Trunk Company, Racine, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 28,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in wardrobe cases.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a wardrobe case comprising a pair 5 of complementary sections and having foldably mounted within one section a movable garment rack which will support and fold garments in a novel and compact manner, the rack being arranged for swinging movement outwardly of the section when the case is open and there being an entirely removable garment bar cooperating with the rack whereby packing of garments is greatly facilitated, said devices being movable into the case section to neatly and compactly fold the garments engaged thereby into said case section and to so maintain the same without wrinkling.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wardrobe case having garment holding and folding devices movably mounted within one section arranged to receive and fold full length garments in a manner so that the same will be entirely held within one of the wardrobe case sections so as not to project or depend into the other case section.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wardrobe case which will effectively house within one portion of the case full length garments such as dresses and coats, leaving the other section free and segregated for miscellaneous luggage and wearing apparel.

A further object of the invention is to provide awardrobe case having a three point suspension releasable and adjustable harness mounted within the wardrobe section for engaging the garments mounted on the supporting devices to hold the same firmly and compactly against the rear inner wall of the section in which said devices are mounted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wardrobe case wherein the case sections are maintained in open position by ioldable metallic stays connected to the case sections, with the garment retaining harness being so arranged with respect thereto that a portion of said harness guards the garments against being pinched or sheared by said stays, and also protects the garments from flanges on the garment bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wardrobe case wherein the garment holding and folding means comprises a movable rack and a removable cooperating bar with said members being arranged with respect to each other so that when said bar is in its mounting and the rack is within the case section, removal of the 1931, Serial No. 571,512

bar from its mounting is prevented, but when said rack is hingedly moved outwardly of the case section, for packing or unpacking operations, free removal of the bar is permitted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wardrobe case which is of very simple construction, is neat and attractive in appearance, is strong and durable, will contain within a minimum amount of space a maximum amount of apparel and traveling paraphernalia, and is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved wardrobe case, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the wardrobe case when the sections are open with respect to each other and with the garment rack moved to horizontal position outwardly of its section for packing or unpacking;

Fig. 2 is a similar vertical sectional view only showing the garment rack being moved toward its normal position within its case section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view at right angles to Figs. 1 and 2 with the garment rack in its inner position within the cover section and with the harness secured thereover for retaining purposes;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing a portion of the harness and the clasp members thereon in engaged position;

Fig. 5 is a similar enlarged detail sectional view showing the manner in which the clasp members of the harness are disengaged;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 3, of a corner portion of the wardrobe case showing the mounting for an end of the removable garment bar and the manner in which the garment rack cooperates with said mounting to prevent or permit the removal of the bar, depending on the position of the rack.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will appear that the wardrobe case includes a rectangular body section 8, U-shaped in crosssection, and a shallower, rectangular cover or wardrobe section 9, also U-shaped in cross-section and hingedly connected to the body section. The sections 8 and 9 are also joined by a foldable stay formed of two metallic sections 10 and 11 pivotally connected together, and pivotally conmarries a metallic hook element 29.

nected at their opposite ends to inner portions of the cover and body sections, respectively. When said stays are extended, the same serve to maintain the cover in open position with respect to the body section, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The inner side walls of the body section are formed with pockets 12 for the reception of small articles.

Mounted within said cover or wardrobe section 9 of the wardrobe case is a clothes rack formed of a pair of side arms 13 joined at their outer free ends by a revoluble transverse rod 14, and further joined and braced intermediate their ends by a transverse brace 15. The lower or inner ends of said arms are pivotally connected, by means of studs 16, to opposed inner side wall portions of the cover section relatively close to the hinge connection between the case sections. By means of the pivotal mounting said rack may be pivotally moved from a normal position entirely within the confines of the cover section, as shown in Fig. 3, to a lowered position projecting horizontally outwardly of the cover section, when the latter is in open position, as shown in Fig. 1. The inner ends of the arms 13' are flanged inwardly, as at 17, for a purpose hereinafter to be referred to.

" A pair of bearing brackets 18 are mounted on opposite inner side walls of the cover section below or inwardly of the pivot studs 16. Each bracket is formed with a' cupped portion 19 and a flange 20. The side wall of each cupped portion has an opening 21 therein so located that it is upwardly and rearwardly directed when the cover is in open position, as shown. Adapted to cooperate with the clothes rack in the mounting and folding of garments'is a clothes bar 22,

the ends of which are fitted with metal caps 23 formed inwardly of the extremities with flanges 24... The bar 22 is normally positioned transversely of the cover section and is so maintained by the engagement of the capped ends 23 within ithe bearing brackets 18. When the clothes rack is .in the lowered, outwardly directed position shown in Figs. 1 and 6, said bar 22 may be freely removed from or engaged with said brackets 18, by moving the capped ends of the bar with respect said brackets through the wall openings 21 therein. However, when the clothes rack is in its normal position within the cover section, shown in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 6, the flanged ends 17 of the arms 13 extend over the bracket openings 21 and thereby prevent removal of said clothes bar 22.

Alsomounted within the cover section is a retaining harness, designated generally by the numeral25. Said harness is arranged so as to have .a three point suspension or connection'with inner portions of the cover section 9, and is composed of flexible material. The main portion of said harness has the shape of an inverted Y with the side straps 26thereof diverging outwardly from the intermediate strap 27, and secured at their outer ends to the flanges 20 of the bearing brackets 18. The inner end of a tab 28 is secured to a medial portion of the front inner wall of the cover section and the free end of said tab There is slidably or adjustably mounted on the free end portion of the intermediate strap 27, inwardly of its end, a looped clasp member 30. To secure the harness in the extended retaining position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the clasp member 30 is it to be hookingly engaged with the hook element 29, as in Fig. 4. To tighten the harness in its secured stretched out condition, it is merely necessary to pull downwardly on the outer depending portion of the strap 27, and this will cause the harness to become taut and the clasp will frictionally so retain the parts of the harness.

To pack the improved wardrobe case the cover section 9 is first opened with respect to the body section 8 and it will be held in open position by the extended stays 10 and 11. Next, the clasp 30 is released from the hook element 29 and the main portion of the harness 25 is permitted to fall to an out-of-the-way position. The clothes rack is then extended horizontally, outwardly of the cover section and assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 wherein the end portions of the rod 14 rest on bosses 32 formed therefor on opposite inner side walls of the body section. With the clothes rack thus positioned, the clothes bar 22 maybe removed from its mounting brackets 18 as previously explained, and it is lifted entirely free of the wardrobe case. Garments. to :be packed in the cover section, such as dresses'and the like, are then hungover the bar so that the same are engaged substantially medially by the bar and are folded once thereover. while the garments arethereon, is then re-inserted into its brackets 18,:and the once folded garments are stretched from the bar over the body section and over the rod portion 14 of the extended clothes rack, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Following this, the entire clothes The bar, 1

rack isnpivotally moved upwardly in an arc of I substantially 180 degrees, through the position shown in Fig.2, until the clothes rack, with the folded garments thereon, in the cover section against the wall thereof, as in Fig. 3. again. folds the garments. .Thegarments next This movement of the clothes rack.

is entirely lodged withare smoothed and arranged to prevent wrinkling,

and lastly the harness tion over the garments is secured tautly in posi- ,3 and rack as previously ex-" plained, serving to maintain the garments and i rack compactly within the cover section. The:

body section 8 may be wearing apparel and packed with miscellaneous" traveling paraphernalia When the cover section is closed with respect to the body section it is held by latch members 33.

A handle 34 is secured convenience in carrying to the body section for the wardrobe case.

When the wardrobe section is packed and the-:

harness is in position, it will be observed from Fig. 3 that the lower or inner ends of the por-' tions 26 of the harness extend over the flanges 24 on the bar 22 and also adjacent the stays 10"" and 11, and this arrangement serves to protect and inspection of garments.

The improved wardrobe case is furthermore si.m-

ple and novel, and poses set forth.

What is claimed as the invention is: 1. A wardrobe case comprising, a pair of hingedly connected sections one of which is prois well adapted for the purvided with bar supporting socket members 10- cated near the hinge connection between said" sections, a garment supporting bar mounted in said socket members and removable therefrom, a garment rack, and pivotal connections between the rack and said section disposed near said socket members and permitting the rack to be swung into said section with portions of the rack closely adjacent said socket members to positively lock said bar within said socket members.

2. In a luggage case including a pair of hingedly connected sections, a clothes rack including arms, means for pivotally connecting the inner ends of said arms within one of said sections adjacent the hingedly connected end thereof, the pivotally attached ends of the arms being formed with flanges, slotted bearing brackets mounted on opposite inner side walls of said sections adjacent the pivotal connections for the arms, and a clothes bar within said section and having its end portions removably engaged by said bearing brackets, the flanges on said arms cooperating with said bearing brackets to prevent removal of the bar when the rack is in its position within said section.

3. A wardrobe case comprising, a body portion, a cover portion hingedly connected to said body portion, a garment supporting rack hingedly connected to said cover portion adjacent the hinged connections between said case portions, the inner ends of said rack having projecting portions, and a garment supporting bar carried by said cover portion adjacent the hinged connection of said supporting rack, the projecting portions of said rack, when said rack is swung into said cover portion, serving to directly, positively lock said bar in place.

4. A wardrobe case comprising, a pair of hingedly connected sections, one 01' which is provided with bar supporting members closely adjacent the hinged connections between the sections, a garment supporting bar disengageably mountable in said supporting members, a clothes rack including arms, means for pivotally connecting the inner ends of said arms within said section adjacent the bar supporting members, the rack being movable into and out of said section, and means formed on said arms positionable closely adjacent said supporting members to positively hold the bar in said supporting members against dislodgment when the rack is in its position within said section.

5. A wardrobe case comprising, a body portion, a cover portion hingedly connected to said body portion, a garment supporting rack hingedly connected to said cover portion adjacent the hinged connection between said case portions, a garment supporting bar on which a garment may be primarily folded, means for removably mounting said bar within said cover portion adjacent the hinged connection of said supporting rack, said rack having a folding edge at the free end thereof on which the garment may be secondarily folded when said rack is swung into said cover portion, and means formed on said rack to positively lock said bar within said mounting means when the rack is disposed within the cover sectio JULIUS BITTER, Jim. 

